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A new study on cannabis grown in Colombia highlights the impressive variety of phytochemicals in the plants. The study identified four different chemotypes based on their cannabinoid profiles, revealing an abundance of uncommon terpenes.
The study’s results, which were published in the “Phytochemical Analysis” journal, indicate that the wide range of compounds found in Colombian marijuana could benefit both growers and the medical cannabis industry. Further, the findings demonstrate Colombia’s potential to be a leader in the global cannabis industry, particularly in South America, as new markets continue to develop.
The authors state that one reason for this diversity is Colombia’s varied environmental regions. The country is known for its array of landscapes, including snowy mountains, tropical coastlines, deserts, rainforests and grasslands. This environmental variety has already contributed to the success of other agricultural industries, such as coffee production.
Researchers collected 156 cannabis samples from 17 licensed medical cannabis cultivation sites, spanning 7 provinces and 5 regions of Colombia. Growers provided information about the types of plants used in the samples — local, imported or hybrids — as well as specifics regarding the growth conditions (indoor, outdoor or greenhouse).
Significant structural and color differences were evident in the samples even before any chemical testing was conducted. The study found that whereas some blooms were more open and airy, others were compact and dense. The samples’ colors ranged from bright, warm tones to softer, more subdued hues.
The research team divided the cannabis into four primary categories after examining the cannabinoids in each sample: type 1, which was dominant in THC; type 3, which was prominent in CBD; type 4, which was dominant in CBG; and type 2, which was balanced. Even though these kinds were distributed throughout Colombia, certain regional patterns did show up.
For instance, plants from the Coffee Triangle region had the highest concentrations of CBD-A, whereas cannabis from the Amazon and south-central regions had the highest THC-A levels. Additionally, the researchers found that cannabis from these same regions contained higher levels of certain compounds, such as CBDV, CBGA and THCV.
The authors also measured the levels of 23 distinct terpenes in the samples. THC-dominant strains showed the greatest variety of terpenes, while CBD-dominant and balanced strains had β-myrcene as the most common terpene. Some types also contained high levels of terpenes that are less common in North American cannabis, such as nerolidol and linalool. The study highlights that the observed diversity in these samples is likely due to a combination of genetic factors and the environment in which the plants were grown.
Interestingly, the research found that nearly one-half of the samples were local varieties, with most of the rest being hybrids of imported and local strains. Very few samples were purely imported. This suggests that Colombia’s long history of growing cannabis before legalization has influenced the country’s current medical cannabis market, with growers blending local and foreign cultivars.
The study provides the first detailed metabolic analysis of legally grown cannabis in Colombia, uncovering significant chemical diversity. The researchers believe that this diversity could contribute to new opportunities in medical cannabis worldwide. They recommend further studies that include full-genome sequencing and a deeper exploration of how environmental factors influence the chemical makeup of cannabis plants.
As more cannabis companies and patients leverage these different cannabis compounds for therapeutic purposes and their efficacy is confirmed, the cannabis industry could boom even more, and ancillary entities such as Innovative Industrial Properties Inc. (NYSE: IIPR) could also see a commensurate uptick in the business opportunities available to them.
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